Op-ed: Establishment of a spaceport will be key moment in city’s history

John Love III Midland Spaceport Development Corp. president

Published 9:28 am, Monday, April 7, 2014

Midland has a visionary City Council. Guided by Mayor Jerry Morales, seasoned council members Scott Dufford and Jeff Sparks along with newly elected council members J. Ross Lacy and Sharla Hotchkiss, this current council’s aims are to direct the execution of the city’s current needs while maintaining our quality of life and making sure that Midland is better for future generations. Part of that vision is the “Midland International Air and Spaceport.”

There have been significant points in the history of Midland that have changed Midland, if not the Permian Basin, for the better. Santa Rita No. 1 oil well was one of those moments. The City Council having the foresight to purchase land and water rights to what would today be known as T-Bar, thus securing water for Midland for years is another. Another key point in the history of Midland is the establishment of the spaceport at “Midland International Air and Spaceport.” The spaceport will provide resources and jobs for the Permian Basin and prepare the city for the future.

I’m excited about the spaceport and what it will do for the city of Midland. Space has been my interest since I was a kid. On my first birthday, man landed on the moon. As a child, my dream was for my mother to buy a ticket for us to go to the moon. That dream, like other kid’s dreams at that time, created a nation of children who aspired for more. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson recently commented that the reduction of NASA space programs may have caused children to stop dreaming about the future. That loss may have halted the progression of our future, our lifestyle and the many creations and innovative products that come from the space program. The space program is vital. But it was necessary for that program to be released from the incubator of government oversight and into the competitive markets of our free enterprise system.

Like many people, when I heard that NASA was going to discontinue space shuttle services, I was disappointed. However, the privatization of space exploration will accelerate that industry faster than being under the government control of NASA. Midland has an opportunity to show the world how a free market, along with the empowerment of entrepreneurs, can transform this nation and the world’s use of resources.

After Kitty Hawk and that historic first flight by the Wright brothers, the public questioned the viability of travel by airplane because of the expense. How on earth could such a novelty for the wealthy replace travel by steam powered sea vessels? The reality is that the economics of space travel will allow it to be the best way to travel from one side of the planet to the other side. All over the United States and the rest of the world, cities are establishing spaceports to be able to eventually participate in this new form of global travel. Imagine lifting off into space from Midland and arriving in Australia, Europe or China in four hours. People from all parts of Texas will come to Midland for travel.

As the demand by consumers for resources continues, new ventures like space mining (landing on asteroids to extract minerals and maybe even water) will uniquely position Midland as a city of the future. Our oil exploration industry joined with the space industry will be more than a plot to an asteroid movie. It will open up new possibilities for how we live on this planet.

Undoubtedly, some Midlanders don’t want to see the growth of Midland. There is a concern about our city losing those West Texas values that Midlanders have worked so hard to maintain. Midland is growing whether we want it to or not. Our oil industry is advancing and the future technological world is coming. Midland has an opportunity to show the world how to maintain community values and implement modern systems. Having the spaceport industry helps ensure that Midland will have the resources that this city needs to continue our West Texas quality of life.

I’m confident that the companies that relocate to Midland and create thousands of jobs will also spark an interest in the dreams of West Texas children of all ages in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The two existing companies currently relocating to Midland, XCOR and Orbital Outfitters, have already committed resources and will allow access to their facilities so that children will be attracted to and benefit from STEM. This benefits our community by creating a more educated population, but in reality it’s good business sense by these companies. It develops a pool of future employees available for these companies to hire from.

The fastest-growing city in the nation has the chance to become the greatest city in the world. Upon approval by the FAA, Midland will have the first spaceport at a commercial airport in America. Will generations in the future refer to Midland as we refer to Kitty Hawk?